1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a computer program for monitoring select Internet activities of a user of a selected computer to which the program is installed, and more particularly to a voluntary monitoring program configured to monitor multiple Internet access activities, such as web browsing, file sharing programs, news groups, chat rooms, peer to peer chats, file transfer protocols, e-mails sent and received, and the like.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Although it would be desirable or even necessary to block access to objectionable material from some users in web sites and the like, this is often not possible as a practical matter. Such blocking may either compulsorily or voluntarily monitor the usage of a selected computer or in some case televisions and compile a record of the web sites or channels accessed by that particular user. This record could be made available to select third party recipients automatically and at pre-determined time intervals, or access to the record may be provided to the selected third party recipient.
For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2003/0130979 to Matz, et al. describes a system having a content-access-history database that includes information about actions the subscriber has taken to access certain types of content, such as television programming and the like on web sites. Although one of the embodiments of this invention states that providers may use the system for monitoring the internet, it does not describe how the system could be adapted for such use and mainly describes the use as applied to televisions.
Site specific internet usage monitoring programs are also generally known in the art. Such monitoring programs may be installed by employers or parents to monitor the web sites visited by employees or children respectively. It may also be desirable to monitor web sites accessed by other persons under a variety of different circumstances. Involuntary applications of these types of programs are often used by employers. The employee has no choice but to accept the monitoring activity on the computer since they have no expectation of privacy for business owned systems. In a voluntary monitoring system, the user knowingly and voluntarily has the monitoring program installed on a particular computer to monitor his internet activities. The user may even select one or more third party recipients to receive, or have access to a report containing a record of the internet activity of the computer user.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,606,657 to Zilbertstein, et al., describes a system to gather and report detailed information on a user's web site visitation. Here, a server system is connected to the internet and receives, processes and supplies detailed user information such as the sites visited and the duration and times of such visits. Such information is gathered and transmitted to subscribers who have reporting and communicating software installed. In addition, the users submit profile information about themselves. Demographic information as to the popularity of visited web sites may then be easily determined, stored and updated by the server. This demographic information, in turn, may be provided to other users, or web site operators and advertisers. The invention disclosed also allows users to initiate chat sessions with other users visiting a particular web site, or post a virtual note on the site for other subscribers to read. A disadvantage to this invention is that most of the web monitoring information is provided to the website owners and operators not the users.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,449,604 to Hansen, et al. describes a system for displaying information on the Web page usage. Statistical information and usage analysis produced by this invention is available to owners and web-site operators. A disadvantage to this invention is that it focuses on website use, not a user's usage. U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,730 to Feliciano, et al. discloses a method for monitoring web browsing activities that does not require modification or reconfiguration of client software, and does not require information from other servers. Complete tracking of a client browsing session is allowed, including detailed link usage, page visits, and the sequence in which the accessing took place. The invention also allows such tracking information to be generated and recorded through the use of a single server. The disadvantage to this invention is that the method is transparent to the client browser.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,256 to Chan, et al. describes a device for transmitting browser activity to a monitoring unit. The monitoring unit is remotely located from the Internet access unit and coupled to the transmission device, the monitoring unit including a display for viewing, and recording Internet activity of the Internet access unit. The system may be activated via a remote command module and may include a password protected interface on the Internet browser (via the software plug-in). Unfortunately, this system is fairly complicated in that it requires an installed transmission adapter card.
While the voluntary programs currently available in the art are configured to monitor web sites accessed by the computer user, they do not offer the capability to monitor the activities resulting from use of other protocols, such as access to file share programs, news groups, chat rooms, peer to peer chats, file transfer protocols, and e-mails. Without these capabilities a user may circumvent a monitoring program by accessing unmonitored internet protocols.
Although there is known in the art various means to monitor computer use, there is a desire and need in the art to provide a computer use monitoring program capable of monitoring and recording a variety of internet activities of a particular computer user including web browsing activity, file share programs use, news group access, chat room activity, peer to peer chat activities, file transfer protocol use, e-mails sent and received, and the like. This monitoring could then be recorded and made available to not only the user, but also to a third party recipient. There is a further need to provide an internet monitoring program capable of generating and providing a report having information related to the above described internet activities.